The Vacation Winners Spent Their Time Between Arenas del Mar and Lost Iguana.

Lauren McCabe, an avid surfer and urbanite, didn’t expect to graduate from the tame waves of Queens, NYC and move on to the rowdy surf of Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica anytime soon. However, the avid writer and public relations consultant decided to take a chance on Costa Rica Pages first annual Travel Writing Contest. In her short essay, McCabe depicted a life-changing journey across the United States by train on New Years’ Eve. The contest, sponsored by Costa Rican Vacations (CRV), called for entries describing a memorable travel experience and its affect on the author.

Of 111 inspirational entries describing everything from round-the-world trips to fish markets in Spain, contracting malaria in Zimbabwe and countless other moments that impacted the lives of the authors, McCabe’s “The Journey as Destination” was chosen as the grand prize winner. Her short, 800-word essay immediately caught the attention of the judges with its focus on the passage of time and place and learning to appreciate the sweet uncertainty of the journey as much as the destination.

“Uncertainty–that same force that sent me reeling in 2007, I was craving now, in 2008,” McCabe wrote. “As I make my way to the baggage claim, I am hopeful that the New Year will unfurl exactly how I want it to: in a dazzling, beautiful, mess.”

Eager to continue her travels, McCabe graciously accepted the prize for her hard work: a 6-night luxury vacation to Costa Rica for two. She chose her best friend from New York, Carla Bloomberg, to travel with her. “This past summer, Carla visited me at my apartment on the Beach in Queens almost every day after work. We’d grab our long boards and go for a sunset surf. How appropriate that she join me in Cost Rica,” McCabe said.

The dream trip became a tangible reality on Sept. 14 when Bloomberg and McCabe arrived at Costa Rica’s Juan Santamaria Airport where they were met by a representative from Costa Rican Vacations (CRV), CRP’s travel affiliate and donor of the free vacation. They were whisked off to the Lost Iguana Resort, set several kilometers back from the Arenal Lake dam outside of La Fortuna amid dense rain forest vegetation. After two nights of watching the eruptions of the active Arenal Volcano, they were transferred to the Central Pacific beach town of Manuel Antonio.

“I loved the richness of the terrain,” commented McCabe on the drive to the beach. “The cross country drives were awe-inspiring and breathtaking. Lush, rolling green hills with the occasional fruit stand perched upon a precarious cliff gave panoramic views of the breadth of the land.”

In Manuel Antonio, the adventurous duo were welcomed at the Arenas del Mar Beach Resort, a new luxury oceanfront hotel that is making waves in Costa Rica. Already listed on Conde Naste Traveler’s 2008 Hotlist, the hotel offers the whole package: 5-star cuisine, a private beach, spa, excellent accommodations and amazing views of the Pacific Ocean.

Upon arriving, the two headed straight to the beach. “Surfing in Manuel Antonio was my favorite part of the trip,” McCabe said. “Not only were the waves quite sizey and the water oh-so-warm, but the walk to the surf break through a monkey-filled jungle, along the wide rocky coast, and then through a shaded path of bars, restaurants and craft stands, was just as lovely.”

At the close of the trip, McCabe and Bloomberg had nothing but positive reviews of their time in Costa Rica and their host. “Costa Rican Vacations were very accommodating, especially when I had to switch my itinerary around a bit due to Hurricanes and the like,” McCabe said. “I was quite impressed by the company’s organization. Having traveled Central America before, I know this is the exception rather than the rule.”

Richard Bexon, Marketing Manager of CRV, worked closely with Costa Rica Pages to organize the writing contest. “I was immediately interested when the idea of the contest was proposed to me,” he stated. “It not only provided us with a marketing opportunity to a target audience of travelers, it also served as a constant source of inspiration on our side, and helped remind me why I work in the travel industry.”

Bexon did mention that both companies would be very interested in working together in the future on a similar project. “I wasn’t sure what kind of turn out to expect, but the participants truly impressed me with not only their experiences, but the insight they provided regarding the meaning and significance of the experiences,” he said. “They really keyed into what makes travel so important in our development as human beings.”

To read this year’s entries, and find out how you could win your own Costa Rica vacation next year, visit our Contest Website: http://www.costaricapages.com/Competition

This post's rating:

Related Stories

Filed under: Travel on October 6th, 2008